1. Do your research

Great writers really know their subject matter inside out. The more time you spend on research, the more likely you are to write great copy.

Often, you’ll get a ‘heads up’ at the outset of a project or writing task, even if it’s just a quick email or phone call from a colleague or client. As soon as you have this initial indication of the task and subject matter do some quick research. That way, you’ll be prepared to take a proper briefing.

As an example, let’s say you work for a local authority’s parks department and you know you’ll be writing about new rules for keeping dogs on a lead. You needn’t wait until getting the full briefing to start looking into the subject.

Even just a few minutes online looking at information such as the laws around keeping control of dogs would help you to start understanding the issues. You can also get some ideas by looking at existing communications from other organisations as inspiration.

After initial research like this, when you take a proper briefing you’ll be able to ask intelligent questions about the background to the piece and what it should cover.

2. Ask the right questions

The briefing itself can take many forms, from a phone call or email exchange right up to a lengthy meeting. However it’s done, your task is to gather as much useful information as possible in the time available.

This is why it’s a good idea to build up a bank of questions that you can choose from. Here’s the kind of thing I mean:

1. Who is the target audience?
2. What is the product/service and what does it do?
3. What benefits does the product/service give to customers?
4. What do people like and dislike about it?
5. How does it differ from the competition?
6. Where does this piece of content fit in the overall strategy?
7. What’s good and bad about any existing marketing materials?
8. What is the scope and schedule?
9. Who else do I need to talk to at this stage?
10.  Who will be involved in sign-off?

But watch out. A briefing from a single person won’t always provide all the information you need. Where possible, involve people from different parts of the organisation – especially people in customer facing roles whenever you are writing copy intended for customers and prospective customers.

3. Follow the briefing with even more research

Go beyond the information provided at the briefing. Look at existing content produced by the organisation. There may already be good information on the subject matter, spread across multiple places. I ask clients to send me everything that might be even slightly relevant as it all adds to my understanding of the situation.

It’s also useful to see how competitors are addressing a similar communication task. You might get ideas and inspiration from them. Then look elsewhere online, going beyond the first few Google search results. The best information might be buried away somewhere, so develop your ability to seek it out.

4. Build your interview skills

A huge part of the research process is talking to people. Copywriting is not something you can do in the shadows. You often have to get out there among people to gather the information you need. You need to be brilliant at interviewing people, including the ones who don’t want to be interviewed.

Being able to hold great interviews is a vital skill for copywriters. But don’t think of it as interviewing. It’s more about having conversations with people, putting them at their ease while at the same time getting them to talk at length on the subject.

This is something you can practise every day. Just think about how often you talk to friends or colleagues. Now think about how many opportunities this gives you to try out different conversational skills, like active listening and the use of open questions.

Most importantly of all, these are opportunities to become fully engaged in what the other person is saying. And when you do that in the context of gathering information for things you’re writing, you’ll collect more and better source material for your pieces.

5. Know your audience

Perhaps the most important aspect of research is to know your audience. The more you know about what your readers know, think and feel about the subject, the better you’ll be able to write something that will engage with them.

Try to read what they read. Identify the magazines, websites, blogs, groups or forums that attract the type of people you want to reach. Spend time browsing through these sources to build up a picture of your audience’s awareness and opinions.

A great technique for understanding the way people think about a subject is ‘Amazon mining’. Copywriters noticed a few years ago that in non-fiction book reviews people often share opinions and feelings about subjects. If you are writing about dog training, read Amazon reviews of books about dog training and you’ll get some great insights.

6. Practise writing with a customer focus

Challenge yourself to write with the customer in mind. For promotional pieces, that means tapping into what really matters to the customer.

One approach is to talk about how a purchase will change your readers’ lives. Here are three examples:

‘Olay fights the appearance of ageing.’(Beauty cream TV ad.)

‘My Virgin One account helped me sort out my finances.’ (Bank account TV ad.)

‘Warning: your drives will go further than you think.’ (Golf clubs magazine ad.)

Another approach is to explain the problem that potential customers will have and then say how your solution will help. As an example, let’s assume you sell an amazing new type of chlorine replacement for swimming pools.

You’d start by writing about how swimming pool owners want to ensure the safety of their swimmers, but they don’t want to make their eyes sting (the problem).

Then you explain that your product costs the same as conventional chlorine but can be used in much smaller quantities to achieve the same safety levels, so it doesn’t sting swimmers’ eyes (the solution).

Notice that we don’t initially cover details like the chemical make-up of the new product. That can come later once the reader has been drawn into the material.

Here are some good examples of problem/solution marketing. They all make sure the reader is aware of the problem, then they present the solution:

‘Le motor broke, vous fix, s’il vous plait?’ Car breakdown cover advert. It then went on to ask what people would do if they broke down in France. Then came the solution: European-wide breakdown cover with English speaking helpdesk support.

‘Because when friends pop in unexpectedly, you don’t want them to leave just as quickly.’ Filter coffee advert. The problem: your friends might not want to stick around if you serve them rubbish coffee.

‘Don’t let them get away with it.’ Bank savings account advert. Four competitors’ low interest rates were compared to the bank’s account, establishing the problem and solution: you are not getting enough interest on your savings – bank with us and you will.)

For pieces that are not directly focused on initiating a sale, such as relationship building or thought leadership pieces, after each draft ask yourself: ‘Will the people I want to reach get anything from this?’ Will they find it informative, useful, interesting or funny? If not, get editing.